Giving its cryptocurrency dream a firm beginning, Facebook has reportedly set up a company called Libra Networks in Switzerland that is developing payments and Blockchain systems
Itai Agur, Anil Ari, Giovanni Dell Ariccia
The discussion about central bank digital currency (CBDC) has gained an impressive momentum. Auer et al. (2020) report that many central banks have published retail or wholesale CBDC work and that in speeches of central bank governors and board members about CBDC there have now been more speeches with a positive than a negative stance. The ECB has recently published a comprehensive report on ‘a digital euro’ (ECB 2020).
These activities have led to a growing literature, with a focus on the macroeconomic dimensions of CBDCs. Key topics are the effects of CBDCs on commercial banks, especially the risk of disintermediation, and on monetary policy and financial stability (Carapella and Flemming 2020, Brunnermeier and Niepelt 2019, Fernández-Villaverde et al. 2020, Andolfatto 2018).